A perfect storm of a shortage of available homes for sale, rising interest rates, and higher home prices kept prospective home buyers on the sidelines in December, pushing California pending home sales lower for the second straight month. Meanwhile, equity sales continue to make up more than four of every five home sales, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported today.

Pending home sales data:

  • California pending home sales fell in December, with the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* dropping 25.2 percent in December to reach 68.8, down from a revised index of 92 in November, based on signed contracts. The monthly decline was the second straight double-digit drop in the PHSI. Pending sales were down 16.8 percent from the revised 82.8 index recorded in December 2012. Pending home sales are forward-looking indicators of future home sales activity, providing information on the future direction of the market.

Distressed housing market data:

  • After reaching a recent high in November, the share of equity sales - or non-distressed property sales - shrank slightly in December, but still marked the sixth straight month that equity sales have been more than 80 percent of total sales. The share of equity sales in December dipped to 84.3 percent, down from 86.4 percent in November. Equity sales made up 63.4 percent of sales in December 2012.
  • Conversely, the combined share of all distressed property sales rose in December, when lenders tend to push through more distressed properties to get them off their books by year's end. The share of distressed property sales increased from 13.6 percent in November to 15.7 percent in December. Distressed sales were down by nearly two-thirds from a year ago, when the share was 35.4 percent. Twenty-six of the 38 reported counties showed a month-to-month increase in the share of distressed sales, with San Diego County having the smallest share at 5 percent.
  • Of the distressed properties, the share of short sales was 10.1 percent in December, up from 8.8 percent in November. December's figure was nearly half of the 24.8 percent recorded in December 2012 and remains at the lowest levels since January 2009.
  • The share of REO sales inched up in December to 5 percent from 4.4 percent in November. It was the fifth straight month that REOs made up 5 percent or less of total sales. REOs made up only 11.4 percent of all sales in December 2012.
  • With extremely low levels of active listings, housing inventory tightened in December and remains extremely constrained. The Unsold Inventory Index for equity sales fell from 3.6 months in November to 3 months in December. The supply of REOs dropped from 3.4 months in November to 2.8 months in December, and the supply of short sales fell from 4.2 months in November to 3.2 months in December.

Charts:

  • Pending sales compared with closed sales.
  • Historical trend in the share of equity sales compared with distressed sales.
  • Closed housing sales in December by sales type (equity, distressed).
  • Housing supply of REOs, short sales, and equity sales in December.
  • A historical trend of REO, short sale, and equity sales housing supply.
  • Year-to-year change in sales by property type.
 
Share of Distressed Sales to Total Sales
(Single-family)
           
Type of Sale Dec. 2013 Nov. 2013 Dec. 2012
Equity Sales 84.3 % 86.4 % 63.4 %
Total Distressed Sales 15.7 % 13.6 % 36.6 %
REOs 5.0 % 4.4 % 11.4 %
Short Sales 10.1 % 8.8 % 24.8 %
Other Distressed Sales (Not Specified) 0.5 % 0.5 % 0.4 %
All Sales 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
 
 
Single-family Distressed Home Sales by Select Counties
(Percent of total sales)
 
County     Dec. 2013     Nov. 2013     Dec. 2012
Alameda 9 % 6 % 26 %
Amador 35 % 20 % 37 %
Butte 15 % 9 % 28 %
Contra Costa 7 % 6 % 29 %
El Dorado 19 % 13 % 37 %
Fresno 24 % 26 % 52 %
Humboldt 14 % 18 % 29 %
Kern 19 % 18 % 39 %
Kings 28 % 31 % 49 %
Lake 34 % 25 % 45 %
Los Angeles 18 % 14 % 35 %
Madera 15 % 10 % 74 %
Marin 8 % 6 % 20 %
Mendocino 27 % 26 % 39 %
Merced 22 % 21 % 51 %
Monterey 20 % 14 % 45 %
Napa 10 % 10 % 39 %
Orange 10 % 7 % 30 %
Placer 13 % 13 % 47 %
Riverside 17 % 17 % 48 %
Sacramento 19 % 16 % 51 %
San Benito 15 % 16 % 50 %
San Bernardino 22 % 20 % 44 %
San Diego 5 % 5 % 13 %
San Joaquin 23 % 21 % 53 %
San Luis Obispo 7 % 6 % 26 %
San Mateo 6 % 5 % 20 %
Santa Clara 7 % 4 % 19 %
Santa Cruz 15 % 9 % 34 %
Siskiyou 24 % 22 % 44 %
Solano 22 % 29 % 58 %
Sonoma 15 % 10 % 37 %
Stanislaus 22 % 23 % 53 %
Sutter 28 % 28 % NA
Tehama NA NA 50 %
Tulare 26 % 20 % 39 %
Yolo 18 % 14 % 44 %
Yuba 33 % 25 % NA
California 16 % 14 % 37 %

NA = not available

*Note: C.A.R.'s pending sales information is generated from a survey of more than 70 associations of REALTORS® and MLSs throughout the state. Pending home sales are forward-looking indicators of future home sales activity, offering solid information on future changes in the direction of the market. A sale is listed as pending after a seller has accepted a sales contract on a property. The majority of pending home sales usually becomes closed sales transactions one to two months later. The year 2008 was used as the benchmark for the Pending Homes Sales Index. An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2008.

Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with 165,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Lotus Lou, 213-739-8304
lotusl@car.org